Shining Diamonds
by vampireheart93
Summary: A shy, pessimistic girl named Akira moved to Karakura and has become the hollows number one target. Luckily, a boy named Uryu has sworn to protect her with his life. Is this an act of kindness? Pity? Love? Curiosity?
1. First Sight

**Akira is my Bleach OC. She's not an official character form the series. Just so you know... :) Well, _enjoy_!**

Karakura, Japan

Sunday; 8:35PM...

"Honey, Don't forget to go to the grocery store, it's getting late." My mother yelled from the kitchen.

"Sorry, mom. I'll go right now." I replied as I put on my favorite black hoodie.

"Thanks honey. I owe you."

"No problem." I smiled at her and took the money she had left for me on the table, and then headed outside.

My name is Akira Sakuta for those who were wondering. How do I look like? Well, I have long brown hair, brown eyes, and I'm short. A pretty simple description I must say. I am fifteen years old, and I'm about to enter tenth grade at Karakura High School. I used to live on Puerto Rico, a very small island in the Caribbean Sea. I moved to Karakura with my mom and my grandma a few weeks ago. It's hard to live there; politics, politics, and more politics. I'm glad we moved here, it's peaceful, but still hard to get used to. I miss my family and friends back there, but I'll live.

I walked through the automatic sliding doors of the grocery store and quickly picked what I needed: a bottle of milk, and orange juice for the morning. I went to the counter and put everything there. Then the young clerk scanned all the items, one by one, and put them inside a plastic bag.

"That'll be 6.00." she smiled warmly at me as I gave her the money, but I couldn't smile back, I only managed to give her a shy look. Then I quietly took the bag and headed outside through the automatic sliding doors.

As I walked back home, I tried to think about tomorrow, which will be my first day of school here. How will people welcome me? I was afraid that people would reject me, since I came form a different country, with a different culture, different language, different religion, different _everything_.

I knew I was close to my home because was no sidewalk; only grass and a narrow road for the cars. I was going up a little hill and beyond it, was my house. But as I walked uphill, I felt this weird feeling. Something told me that I was being watched..._followed_.

Without looking back, I ran uphill as fast as I could. Then, when I was about to reach the top, something big fell in front of me, raising a cloud of dirt and dust. I froze in fear as the dust cleared. In front of me was this horrible monster. It looked like an oversized gorilla, over its face, something that looked like a skull... a _mask_, and it had a big hole in its chest. It turned to look at me with bright yellow eyes and then it made this sound, like a howl.

I stepped back, but I put my foot the wrong way and tripped over it. I was rolling down the hill, hitting my head against the asphalt until I bled. When I reached the bottom and stopped, I tried to look back and I saw that monster again. It jumped at me with its mouth open; I think it wanted to eat me!

Then when it was about to land on me, there was a flash of light. I closed my eyes for a few seconds and when I opened them again, the monster was gone...as if it were disintegrated. There was nothing left of it. It was as if it was all in my mind.

I looked back again and saw a figure, standing on the top of the hill. It was human, I couldn't tell who it was because my vision was getting blurry, maybe I was about to pass out. But I swear beside the dark figure, was a bright electric blue light. After I saw that, it all went black for me.

I slowly gained consciousness and opened my eyes. My vision was still a little blurry, but it cleared in just a couple of seconds. When it cleared completely, I noticed a shadow over me. I gasped and tried to move back, but I felt something hard behind me. There I just realized I was in my backyard, lying back against the oak tree. It was dark and there were no lights around, only the dim light from the moon.

"Shh... Keep your voice down." he whispered as he laid a finger on my lips. I could tell he was a boy by his voice.

"What happened? T-That monster...?" It was hard to speak. I was completely positive that he had saved me. Why else would he be here? But did he beat the monster all by himself? If so, how did he beat it?

"It's all over now, there's nothing to worry about." He replied in a soft voice. "I swear by the honor of the Quincy, I will protect you." He added as he took my hand.

I was overwhelmed. Why did would he want to protect me all of a sudden? I'm just a complete stranger. Who is he? And what is a Quincy, anyway? My heart was pounding, trying to get out of my chest.

Suddenly he looked away as if someone had called him. I could see his face now; the dim moonlight lightened his face. He had a beautiful face, delicate pale skin, deep blue eyes, black hair, and bangs that fell over the sides of his face. And he wore glasses. Most girls would turn down when they hear the word _glasses_, but I didn't. I only thought of one word to describe him: _flawless_. I felt butterflies in my stomach. Was I falling for him?

"I need to go now." He stood up and walked away. I couldn't help but stare. Why did he have to go now? I wanted to ask him a few things. Probably I wasn't going to I'm way too shy to make conversations with a complete stranger anyway. I get nervous easily. I just couldn't.

He stopped. "Until we meet again, Miss Sakuta." He looked over his shoulder as he said my name. Then...he disappeared. And I could swear I didn't blink or anything, he just disappeared. Now I was even more confused. How the hell the he know my name? And how did he do _that_? Is he some product of my imagination?

It started to rain. I put on my hoodie and got up, maybe too quickly because I staggered a little. I notice the bag form the grocery store bedside me. Probably that guy who saved me picked it up too. So I bent down to pick it up, but this time I moved slowly so I wouldn't stagger again.

I tried to hurry to the back door, but I stopped. Mom would be suspicious. I didn't want to explain what happened. How would I explain anyways? So I decided to go all the way around the house to the front door.

When I got in I saw my grandma sitting in the rocking chair, knitting, as usual. She moved with me and mom, too. She is the only one left of my mother's family. Mom was lying down on the sofa, tired from the daily routine, watching TV. Both turned to look at me when they heard the door close, both with worried-confused expressions.

"What happened to you? You're bleeding!" Mom asked almost yelling.

"I just fell on my way back and hit my head, its no big deal. I'll take care of it later," I said as I went to the kitchen. Mom got up and went to my side.

"Are you sure? It looks really bad." She said as she looked at my injuries. I nodded and put the milk and the orange juice in the fridge. She waited for me to talk so I finally spoke.

"I'm okay. I'm tired, I'll go to bed now." I said, trying to avoid long conversations. Now that I thought of it, I really am tired. At least mom understood and let me go to my room. So I wished mom and grandma a good might and went upstairs.

I made a short stop to go to the bathroom to treat my wounds. There I stood in front of the sink, looking at myself in the mirror; until I finally turned on the faucet and I washed the blood off gently with soap. Then I opened the mirrored shelf and looked for the first-aid kit; a little white box with a red cross. I'm pretty sure everyone's got one. I put on some ointment to stop the bleeding and wrapped band aid around my head. While I did that, I thought about what happened tonight. What was that monster? And that guy, who is he? And most importantly, how did he know my name? I had never seen him before. I had so many more questions I couldn't think straight. I couldn't stop thinking about him.

I walked out of the bathroom and went to my room. When I got in and closed the door behind me, I leaned back on the door and let out a sigh. I changed my clothes to something more comfortable, turned off the light, and lied down in my bed. It was going to be hard to sleep after what happened tonight, so I got my iPod from the night table besides my bed and put on some music. It's a weird fact that music helped me sleep. I usually listen to hard rock, metal and stuff like that. Mostly the kind of music most people call noisy. But I didn't know what song to hear so I put my iPod on shuffle. Then I stared off to the ceiling, trying to think of something else.

I know every song I have on my iPod by heart, since I was always listening to it. So I sang along each song, just to keep my mind busy. Sometimes I got distracted and stopped singing without noticing, and thought of him again. I didn't want to think about him, it made me feel… _weird_. I wanted to forget about tonight, so I could sleep well. These kind of events really made me paranoid.

Moments later I heard soft knocks under the music, and the door opened slowly. I thought it was the guy who saved me, but it was my mom. What the hell? That proves me what I said about thinking about him, It makes me paranoid… I think he's everywhere.

I let out a sigh. "Hey, mom." I took off one ear bud.

"Sorry. Did I wake you?" She asked.

"Nah. I was just listening to music." I said. "What is it?"

"It's really nothing. I was just worried about you and needed to check on you, just to be sure you were ok." There was a long pause between that. "Are you feeling all right? It there anything you want to talk about?" She gave me a look when she asked the last question. She suspects something happened tonight. Damn, she's sharp.

I nodded to answer the first question, and the I spoke. "Nothing really…" I lied.. And I felt really bad for that, but I didn't want her to know. She'll think I'm crazy or something. "But I'm a little embarrassed because I'll have to go with bandages on the first day of school" I touched the bandage around my head as I said that.

"Don't worry. I'm pretty sure it'll heap pretty soon." She smiled at me as she spoke.

"I guess, but… never mind." I was about to let myself talk too much. That happened very often because I trust my mother so much. I didn't want her to know about what happened tonight, that'd worry her. But I was sorry for lying to her, but she shouldn't know. She can't.

"You don't need to tell me if you don't want to." She smiled again. She understood my feelings. "But whenever you want to talk about it, I'll always be here." She bent to kiss my cheek, I kissed her back.

"Thanks, mom." I smiled at her.

"I'll let you sleep now. Tomorrow will be a long day for both of us. And your grandma, she'll be alone until you come back from school." Mom said as she got up from my bed and walked to the door.

"Ok then, good night." I smiled.

"Good night, sweetheart." She smiled back and closed the door.

When I was finally alone in my room, I let out a sigh and stuck the ear bud back in my ear. I was relieved that mom didn't insist on talking about what happened, it'd be hard to explain her if she did. After a few songs I got sleepy enough, so I tuned off my iPod and put it on the night table. Then I turned in a more comfortable position and closed my eyes. Then, I finally fell asleep.


	2. Another One

My alarm clock rang at 6:00 AM. I got out of bed and took a shower, meanwhile mom prepared breakfast. I wanted this day to end soon, so I hurried. At least for me, the first day of school is always the worst. Why? Everyone looks at you like you're some kind of _freak_. And probably even more when you're an outsider, like me. I hated those stares, and I still hate them.

When I was done, I stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around me and went to the sink. I brushed my teeth and combed my hair. When I was done, I took a little time to look at myself in the mirror. As always, I looked horrible. I wanted to look at least ok on my first day of school, but I looked pained. I've always had a sad face, even if I'm not sad at all. Maybe it's because all that's happened to me. I've lived a hard life, I can assure you that.

I realized I was taking too long so I ran out of the bath room, holding the towel tight against my body so it wouldn't fall off. Once in my room, I threw the towel into the hamper and hurried while purring on the school uniform. It was a simple white shirt a red ribbon, and a gray skirt. They didn't make much restrictions on the shoes, only that they had to be closed. So I put on my old black shoes and high black socks.

When I took my book bag and went downstairs and went to the kitchen to get my breakfast. I ate a bowl of may favorite cereal and went outside quickly. My mother was just getting in the car as I went though the front door. I got in the passenger's seat and said "Good Morning" to my mom.

"Good Morning, dear." She replied. She started the car and went down the road. I decided not to talk, both of us were tense. It was my mom's first day of work here in Karakura. She will work in the local newspaper as a translator. It's a pretty peaceful job; sit in front of a computer and write all day.

Me, apart form being my first day and being nervous I was longing to see my hero again. He said we'll met again but, when? That had me even more tense. What if it was tonight? Or right now! No, I doubt it.

When we arrived to school, I wished my mom good luck and the fist day. When I have her a kiss and a hug, she wished me good luck back. I stepped out of the car and grabbed my book bag from the back seat, then made my way through the school gates.

There wasn't much people yet. Of course, it was just 7:00AM. At least I had time to get used to the environment. But I wasn't going to walk around like an idiot without knowing the school. So I just looked for a spot where I could stay for an hour. It didn't even take me five minutes to find one just around the gate, under a tree. I liked that, trees in the school. Perfect for when you want a little shade.

I sat on the grass and crossed my legs. It was still a little humid, but just a little bit so I didn't mind. There I I listened to my music and played solitaire on my iPod, waiting for the bell to ring. I looked around casually and when I did, there were some students that passed by, looked at me and murmured something to the one at their side. Probably commenting on my bandages. But what could I do? The only thing I could do and actually be any good was ignore them. So I did.

There were only twenty minutes left for the bell to ring and I got bored of doing the same thing, so I turned off my iPod and looked around. I noticed someone sitting under another tree a few feet away, a boy. He was reading a book small book, I couldn't read the title because he was a little too far away. The book covered most of his face, only the forehead was visible form where I was sitting. I looked at his hand, his skin was pale and looked so delicate holding the book. Then he moved his hand a little, probably his finger was in the way or something. Something shone in his hand and caught my attention. His wrist. He wore some kind of charm I suppose. It looked somewhat like a _star_.

He lowered his book and glanced at me as he turned the page I froze in place. It was _him_! The same guy who saved me yesterday! I know he said we'd meet again soon but, I never expected it to be this soon. Of course, I was surprised. Unlike him; he was calm and serene , just as if he was expecting to see me here.

He went back to his reading, the book covering his face again. But I couldn't take my eyes off him. I was still shocked. After several seconds he lowered his book a little, only to look at me. I quickly looked away and pretended to be looking at something else. But my cheeks betrayed me; they felt warm, I knew I was blushing. But it was hard not to look at him.

I felt uncomfortable near him, but not in a bad way. I wanted to go somewhere else. I felt that if I stayed too long I was going to have a heart attack or something. It was almost time for the bell to ring anyway so I stood up and made my way to the classroom. Which if I remember well, was I-3. I went up the stairs and found a long hall.

There were students there too. Most of them looked at me… I decided to ignore the stares and continued. I hated to attract attention, it made me nervous and therefore even clumsier. So walked fast but carefully of course, into the classroom. I took my sat in the first row and lowered my head. I was really tense on my first day of school here. Who isn't? But now I am in a different school, in a different country. Which was even _worse_.

The teacher was already writing material on the board. She is my math and homeroom teacher. Well, at least math was the fist period. In my old school it was at the last period, when your brain is already loaded with other school material.

I heard other students complaining about the teacher giving material the first day. Probably some of my new classmates. The teacher continued, like she hadn't even listened to them. The more students entered the room the more complaining I heard. I was surprised the teacher didn't order them to shut up. It was starting to irritate me.

And then it too me off guard… _he _appeared. He was quiet as he entered the room: he didn't complain, he didn't say hi to the teacher nor his classmates. I covered my face with my arms, I was starting to feel heat in my cheeks. Just then I felt the seat move behind me! Did he sit behind me? I think so, but I wasn't brave enough to look back. He intimidated me.

The bell rang and it startled me. What a great timing! I was really nervous… and even more because _he_ was behind me. Now the teacher turned towards the class and started speaking…

"Good morning, students." She said in a highly enthusiastic tone. "I'm Miss Sugisaki, and I'll be your math teacher from now on." She smiled. "I have been told we have two new students this year, which are-"She then made a sudden pause and looked around the classroom.

Every one else murmured and looked around as well. Is there really another one? Then… suddenly someone busted through the door.

"Here!" He said as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. He was probably the other new student. He had light brown skin, black short and curly hair, and dark brown eyes. He looked kind of the athletic type because of his tight musculature. His shirt was unbuttoned , revealing a white undershirt and his dark gray pants were a little ripped.

I heard _him_ sitting behind me sigh and mutter something really low. He sounded kind of annoyed. Even though he talked really low I clearly distinguished the word '_soul reaper_', but that was probably not it. It didn't make any sense at all.

"Sorry I'm late, teacher" He managed to say.

"Don't worry… take a seat." The teacher patted him on the shoulder and let him go take a seat, well… the lat one that was left on the back.

I looked at him as he walked by me. He looked back at me and gave me a sweet smile. He seemed very friendly, so I smiled back at him. And he did look handsome, but friendly over all things.

Just when he sat down the teacher told us to introduce ourselves, starting form the first aisle. And to make matters worse… the new ones had to tell a little about themselves. I hated that.

I looked back at everyone as they stood up and said their names. I mostly paid no attention to them. I was just waiting for my turn and getting more anxious as my turn approached. When it was the other new student's turn I looked back . I wanted to know how he introduced himself to the group and follow his example.

"Hey, my name is Leon Suto." He started. "I'm sixteen and I was born in New York. It's nice to meet you all." He said in a very natural tone; he didn't get nervous at all.

I heard people whisper and _ooh-ing_ right after he sat down. I think they were excited about having a foreign student in their group. I am too. But I don't want them to get so excited and curious about me, I hate that kind of attention.

It was my turn now, so I stood up quickly facing the others and said. " Um… Hello. My name is Akira Sakuta. I'm fifteen, and uh… I moved from Puerto Rico a few weeks ago. It's good to meet you." I blushed. It was hard to speak in a language I was not used to. I felt the stabbing of the stares of everyone as sat down. It was annoying.

I turned around in my seat to see who was next. It was _his_ turn. I felt my heart rushing and my cheeks getting warm as he stood up. I wanted to know his name so badly. I couldn't keep my eyes off him. But I was careful not to look anywhere near his eyes. I felt that if I were to do that, I could faint … or even _die_!

"I'm name is Uryu Ishida." He said. "Nice to meet you too." He looked at me as he said the last sentence. I looked back at him and blushed. He was talking to _me_? His name is cool; I thought. I liked it.

When he sat down, I turned back in my seat and put my head on the desk. I didn't pay attention to any of the other students' names or anything. I was in my own world… thinking. I was overwhelmed. He _talked _to me. I wanted to talk back to him but I'm not brave enough. I tried not to think about it. Instead, I though about how to start a conversation with a random person and how could I fit in. When every one finished, miss Sugisaki spoke.

"Well, we have little time left now. Please copy what's on the board. Well discuss it tomorrow." Miss Sugisaki instructed as she sat on her desk.

I took one of my notebooks randomly and started writing. I didn't care which notebook I took because they were all blank.. Time seemed eternal as a wrote, probably because I was anxious. Every time I stopped to look at the board my hand shook uncontrollably. Surprisingly enough, just when I finished copying the bell rang. What a coincidence!

Just then Miss Sugisaki said what every teacher says…

"_Class dismissed._"

**DISCLAIMER: Leon Suto is an OC, but he doesn't belong to me. He belongs to Daigen. daigen. The only character I own is Akira Sakuta.**


	3. Abuse

Next class was Biology with Mr. Taka. The teacher was cool, he joked around a lot. What I didn't like was that for this class the student's were arranged in tables of two by alphabetical order. But I didn't really care about that now because I was new I and I didn't know anyone. Although I really wanted to sit with Uryu but I don't' think I couldn't handle it. Instead he got his table with another girl, I was so jealous.

I got my table with the other new student, Leon Suto. He was very nice with me. We talked about random things like, our previous experiences in our birthplace, our hobbies, and other things you talk about when you meet someone new. I had fun talking with him, he instantly won my trust. Mr. Taka didn't give anything today, instead he let us talk. He said it was because he wanted to let everyone get to know their partners.

The bell rang. It was time for Japanese with Mr. Mizushiro. I walked to class and sat next to Leon. Uryu sat in front of me. I was happy he was close, but I couldn't talk to him.

Mr. Mizushiro wrote a lot on the board, and it was really hard to understand. I was afraid to ask the teacher, so I just peeked at someone else's notebook, mostly Uryu's. He wrote very understandable, organized and clean.

When everyone finished writing, Mr. Mizushiro gave a sheet of paper with questions for homework. We had to read some pages of the text book and answer them.

As soon as the bell rang, all the students rushed out of the classroom. It was finally time for lunch. I picked up my stuff and put it in my book bag near the door. Then I asked Leon if he wanted to have lunch with me. He quickly agreed. I noticed he was planning that too, he was also happy to have lunch with me. So we took our lunch boxes and went outside.

We sat on the same spot I was this morning. Then we opened our lunchboxes and started eating.

"Anyways, I was willing to ask… what happened?" Leon asked, out of the blue.

"Huh?" I looked at him.

"Why the bandages?" he pointed at his forehead. I had completely forgotten about that.

"Oh, that. I just fell and hit my head against something." I tried not to give many details about what happened. Nobody was going to believe my story.

"Ahh… I hope you get better." He said. I guess he noticed I didn't want talk about it, as he didn't ask anything more.

There was a moment of silence as I watched Uryu as he sat alone eating his lunch.

"You like that guy, don't you?" Leon asked.

I looked back at him with a 'no I don't' expression, but my cheeks betrayed me.

"Hey, don't worry. I won't tell anyone!"

"Umm… Thanks." I said, although I didn't know if it was the right thing to say.

There was a weird moment of silence for a while, until a group of three older guys came in violently.

"Hey you, new guy! What's your name?" A big bulky guy said in a very menacing tone. He seemed to be the leader of the group because of how the other two were formed behind him.

"Leon Suto. What's wrong with that?" Leon replied and took a bite of his lunch, completely ignoring the guy's intention. He didn't care what there guys were after. It was obvious they were going to bully him. If I was in this kind of situation, I'd be scared. Leon was not only outnumbered—he was also outsized. These guys were big and strong. I put my lunch aside.

"You…" The leader took Leon by his collar. "...stand out too much." He sounded angry now. I don't know why there are people who abuse of other people just because they want. I just couldn't find any reason

—there isn't.

"Please, not now. There are ladies present." Leon said, keeping his cool tone.

The boy looked at me and took a big breath. "I don't' take that excuse, you croward!" He said as he threw Leon to the other guys who restrained him.

"Heh… You don't even know how to speak properly." Leon teased him. "You must have failed couple of grades." It totally made sense, that's why he looked so old

—and big.

"Shut up!" He punched Leon in the face. "You'll learn your place, kid!" He cracked his knuckles.

Then he punched Leon in the stomach, making the air burst out of his lungs and leaving him struggling for air. I automatically stood up. I wanted to do something, but I didn't know what to do. I watched as they punched him again, again, and again. I couldn't take it anymore, my body reacted first.

"Stop!" I grabbed his wrist and stopped before he could hit Leon again. My eyes watered.

The leader of the bullies looked back at me; everyone around the scene did the same—even Leon. Their expressions: _Shocked_.

"Please." I said, trying to hold back my tears. "What has he done to you to deserve this?" My voice broke. There was plain silence for a moment.

"Let him go." The leader commanded. The other two boys let Leon fall to the floor. He breathed heavily, coughing a couple of times. Then the leader grabbed Leon by the collar again. "Don't think this over yet, punk. I'll be back!" He said. Then he let Leon go and ran away.

Leon had managed to stay on his feet and dust off his clothes. Then he looked at me with his soft chocolate eyes and then he gave me a smile.

"Wow, Akira. I'm impressed." He said as he walked towards me. "I never thought you'd do that" He laid a hand on my shoulder.

"Believe me, I am too." I smiled sheepishly.

Just then the bell rang. We went to the Japanese classroom where we had left our books and took them to the next class: History. The teacher was late, so there was a little bit of a racket. I took my seat next to Leon and put my book bag next to the desk.

I heard a lot of comments about what happened at lunch all around the classroom, which really annoyed me. Do you think I needed _more_ attention? I thought I had enough with the bandages!

Leon seemed to be annoyed also

—well, more like embarrassed. He was pouting. I waved slowly at him just to get his attention. He smiled.

The teacher arrived and instantly called for order as she sat in her desk. Mrs. Minami was nice but her class was boring. Although it was funny when she smacked the heads of those who fell asleep on their books. But her class was basically the read-and-answer-questions type. I don't blame them for falling asleep.

P.E. was next. I hated that class. I'd send it to hell a thousand times. I always made a fool of myself there, I sucked at sports. It was really embarrassing.

Before we went to P.E. we had to change to the sports uniform, of course. It was a white shirt with the school logo and blue white-striped shorts. But there was a difference between boys and girls: the boys wore long pants.

I was surprised to find Leon waiting for me outside the girls' bathroom. I walked to the courts with him. I told him I was afraid to get hit or something, because I always get some kind of injury with some kind of ball. He laughed at that.

In P.E., Mr. Yamaoka divided us in two groups; we were going to play basketball against each other. I did say I sucked at sports, but I didn't say the sport I most sucked on was precisely basketball.

Leon was assigned to the other group, so I was alone. But luckily Uryu was in my group. Even though he didn't seem to be interested in sports, he was really good.

I was the first to get out of the team, because I kept accidentally _bumping_ into my teammates. So practically, I didn't play at all. I just watched the others play form the bleachers

—_alone_.

When the bell finally rang, I went back to the girls' bathroom and changed to my regular uniform. I know I was going home now but, I didn't like the sports uniform. The shorts always stuck to my legs with the sweat, it felt awkward when I walked.

I went outside and stood by the school gates. There I called mom form my cell phone. She said that the work time was not really established yet, but for now she was working until six. So I decided I should walk home.

"Hey, Akira wait up!" I heard Leon running behind me. He caught up with me and started a conversation.

"Do you walk home alone?" He asked.

"For now, yeah." I replied.

He looked down for a moment. "Would you mind if I walk with you?" He kindly asked.

"Not at all." I answered.

Just then Leon took off his shirt, leaving only his white sleeveless undershirt on and put it around his shoulder. I looked at him and blushed. I was not used to see a boy without a shirt. I looked away in embarrassment, although my eyes insisted in looking back.

"I'm sorry." He apologized. "I'll put my shirt back on if it bothers you."

"Don't worry. It's just that… I'm not…" I hesitated. "It's not you, don't be offended."

"It's OK. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable around me." Leon said as he put his shirt back on, then he looked back at me and smiled. I smiled sheepishly in response.

We had walked for a while now, we were already in the outskirts if town. I could already see the hill I fell last night.

"How far is your home?" Leon asked.

"Just past that hill." I pointed at that hill which I now hated. "Why you ask?" I looked curiously at him.

"Nothing. I just wanted to know because" He cleared his throat. "I'm walking in the wrong direction."

"Then just go. I'll be fine form here."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Okay then. See you tomorrow." Leon waved at me as he ran back. "Take care!"

"I will" I said. Just when I turned back in my route, I saw Uryu. He was standing in one of the rooftops, watching protectively over me. Was he here all this time? All I know is that whenever I was in his presence, I felt _safe_.


	4. Easy Life?

I continued my way home over the hill, thinking only one thing; Why is Uryu protecting me? It was a question only he could answer.

When I got home, my grandmother greeted me as she watered the plants in the front garden—like she always did every now and then. Even though she looked happy, nothing could hide the long, _tiring_ years she has lived through. She's eighty years old. She has a short body (much shorter than me), wrinkled tanned skin, dark brown eyes-almost black, and a small amount of black and gray hair gathered in a small ponytail.

After I greeted my grandmother, I went upstairs to my room and dropped my book bag on the floor next to my desk. Then I threw myself in the rolling chair, rolling back a little. I looked up; my mind busy with thoughts. I was wondering about Uryu. Why does he follow me form afar? I didn't really mind but—it was just too _ambiguous_.

I shove those thoughts away and went back to the old school routine: Do homework, take a shower, eat, and do whatever I want last.

Mom arrived at seven, very tired from work. She just said hello to me, took a quick shower and went to bed at ten—the same time I did. She said she had eaten something on her way home.

The rest of the week was pretty much the same. I took PE Mondays and Wednesdays, Tuesdays and Thursdays were for electives and on Fridays we had the last hour for club activities; but neither I or Leon joined a club.

Once school was over for the day, Leon always accompanied me through town. I don't know why but, when Leon leaves to his home at least one of those monsters appear. It was like they feared him or something. But Uryu was always there to save me. He killed the monsters with a strange power. I've never really seen how he does it because there's always a bright light that blinds my vision. But before the light, I see him with an electric blue spiderweb-like artifact in his hand.

Six months later…

January 29, 2009

Things were all the same for the past few months. Leon got beaten up by bullies every now and then. I got attacked by those monsters so many times I lost count. But Uryu was always there to protect me and killed them before they could even lay a finger on me. For that I never got to say thanks to him, I just couldn't get close—he intimidated me. Leon tells me to get over with it and talk to him for once. I considered that many times but, every time I stood up to Uryu I realized I couldn't do it.

My grandmother started getting all depressed and said she wanted to go back to Puerto Rico, so my mother had no other choice but to take her back. Mom said she thought I was old and responsible enough to be alone in the house for two days, so she left me here. Apparently, she didn't want me to miss school. They left that afternoon, a few hours after I got home from school—leaving me alone for the night.

I made sure I locked the front door and the back door as well, I didn't want to get anyone in my house uninvited, even less while I was alone. After I locked everything, I prepared a bowl of ramen for dinner and took it to my room where I ate it while I chatted with Leon through an instant messenger. He was worried about me being home alone, even though I assured him I had secured myself inside.

Strangely enough, we both spoke about our lives—a topic we had never covered. I told him about my life back in Puerto Rico, which seemed very interesting to him—to me it was a bore. I even told him about my loss. Back when I was only nine, my father died—well, killed. I didn't go on with the details with Leon because it disturbed me. My father went out and never retuned, then he was found after two—dead and rotting. The cause of death was unknown; his body was intact, no wounds, no signs of stress. The forensics said that he just collapsed and died mysteriously, like his soul had been sucked out of his body. Sometimes I believed it to be possible, but most of the time I think he was killed—there's no way he could just die like that.

Leon felt sorry for me, but I told him not to. I confessed that talking about it actually made me feel better.

Then I asked Leon about his life, about how he ended up here in Japan. He told me his mother had a hard time living in New York. After his father went missing, their house burned. Luckily, most of their things survived the fire. Then they were forced to move to Karakura, Japan. Leon then lost his mother when he was ten, she died of extreme stress. Leon had been living alone for six years now, but he never told me because he didn't want me to worry.

I was hard to believe that someone could have such a tragic background and yet could act so blissfully—like nothing ever happened. I admire him. Unlike me, Leon lost both parents and lives alone—what has happened to me it's nothing compared to it.

After a long while, I began to feel sleepy. It was past midnight and there was school tomorrow, so I decided to go to bed. Leon said he was going to bed soon too, so I wished him goodnight and turned off my PC. Then I set my alarm at six—as I always did, and then went to bed.

The other day the first thing I did was take a shower. After getting ready, I prepared myself a peanutbutter-jelly sandwich and went out. Of course, I made sure I locked the door properly.

I felt different—it was the first time I walked to school. My mother always had time to take me before work.

The air was still chilly, even though the sun has been up for a couple of hours. I liked that—it was _relaxing_.

After I ate my sandwich I checked the time on my cell phone; it was seven-fifteen, so I took it easy. Suddenly one of those monsters appeared again, but this one was bigger. It resembled an aquatic creature—it was ugly, and scary.

I froze. My feet wouldn't respond, my hands felt cold. I fixed my eyes on the beast. Suddenly, when the monster was about to attack me, I felt two hands that swiftly—yet, delicately, picked me up and got me out of danger. A cloud of dust raised as the monster hit the ground with its claw.

I looked at the face of my savior—it was Uryu, of course. He delicately let me stand on my feet beside him. Then he put his right arm straight to his side, the star-like charm he wore in that hand swung. The monster now charged at Uryu. Then Uryu's charm grew brightly and then produced some kind of energy that took shape into something that looked like a spiderweb. Then he aimed an _arrow_ at the monster that was going right towards him and shoot it right in the middle of its forehead. The monster then, vanished in the air—it just disappeared.

Everything happened so fast. I was overwhelmed by all the action. But I now knew how Uryu kills those awful creatures.

"Are you okay?" Uryu asked as he turned towards me. What I think was a bow disappeared from his hand.

"I guess" I answered sheepishly. But in the inside I said "Of course I'm okay! You saved me!", but I was just too stupid at the moment.

He smiled at me. I didn't know why—he just did. That same smile made feel butterflies all over my chest. My cheeks felt warm, I was sure they were red.

"Those hollows seem to be getting quite troublesome. Maybe I should escort you to school." He said as he walked a few steps and then looked back at me. There was still a faint smile in his face. I didn't say anything, I just caught up with Uryu. Who fixed his tie and nudged his glasses up his nose as he walked.

_Hollows_? He must be referring to those ugly creatures that attack me every time they get a chance. So that's what they are. It makes sense, because every one of those things have a hole located somewhere on their torso.

I felt like I was in a dream as I walked to school with Uryu. The moment was priceless—I was walking right next to the love of my life. My heart beat so fast I believed it could burst out of my chest any moment.

I had so many questions—so many things I wanted to clear out, and I didn't know how to put everything up. But I didn't want to let this opportunity pass by, so I decided I should start by asking about those monsters—the _hollows_.

"You called those monsters hollows, right?" He looked at me as I made my questions. "What are they? Why do they attack me?" I regretted asking that many questions at the same time.

"Hollows are spirits that attack and feed on human souls in order to get stronger, specially ones with high spiritual pressure. In other words, they feed on the strongest. You have high spiritual pressure plus its concentrated for some reason. That's why they have so much interest in you, Akira." He tried his best to make me understand, and his effort didn't go to waste.

"Don't worry, I won't let those hollows eat your soul." He added. "If they want your soul, they'll have to kill me first!" He said in a fierce tone, his hands violently clenched into fists.

I was taken aback by his sudden change of mood. He was so calm and serene at the beginning, now he was like a completely different person. I decided not to talk for a while—like that was so hard for me. But I still had a lot of questions, so I think it's not going to be so easy after all.

After several minutes of walking, I noticed he had gained back his composure, so I decided to shoot my next question.

"Why are you protecting me?" Wrong question, I guess. He didn't answer—he looked at me trying to find a way to tell me.

"I'm sorry. It was too sudden." I apologized. "You don't have to tell me if you don't fell like it." I looked down in embarrassment.

"It's okay." He said in a low voice, and nothing more.

After a while, we had reached the school. Only ten minutes to eight. One could easily tell because the students were already heading to their classrooms. As I walked past the gates, I realized I hadn't thanked Uryu—for saving me so many times. I then got the courage to tell him and stood in front of him.

"Before I forget…I wanted to thank you for risking your life for me while its something you don't have to do." I bowed. "Thank you for everything."

Then I ran off into the building. My cheeks hurt form blushing and the feeling of butterflies in my stomach was so intense it made me feel nauseous. It was so fast—I couldn't believe I finally let it out.

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: Leon Suto is an OC but he doesn't belong to me, he belongs to Daigen. daigen(dot)deviantart(dot)com The only character I own is Akira Sakuta. Bleach and Bleach characters are copyrighted to Tite Kubo.**


	5. Solve For X

When I got into the building, I bumped into Leon—who was probably looking for me. He was early today. It was actually the first time I've seen him this early at school. He's _always_ late.

"Hey, Akira. Why the rush?" He asked, looking at me suspiciously.

"You won't believe what happened."

"Don't tell me. Uryu saved you... again." He rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, and he walked me to school." I said excitedly, my chest hurt from containing all the excitement.

"What?! How...?" He shook me and then looked at me with doubtful eyes.

"It's true." I said.

"Yeah, I believe you but... Bah! Forget it." He seemed happy for me, but then angry at the same time.

I walked to the math classroom with him. Leon didn't say a single word. Which was weird because he usually talks the whole way to class—even during class. Today, he was unusually quiet. Could it be because of what we talked about yesterday? Maybe because of what I said just now? The only explanation to that would be that he likes me and he's angry because he's got competition. But that's _maybe_. Seriously, I'm not the kind of girl for Leon—he deserves something much better.

When we got to the classroom, most of the students were already there. The teacher was there too of course, she's always here early.

We proceeded to sit quietly in our respective seats. I sat on the front row, Leon in the fifth. Uryu was the last to enter the room; however, he was not late. He gave me a slight smile as he walked by me. I blushed and hid my face in my hair in response.

Class started as soon as the bell rang. Today's math subject was Algebraic Expressions, a topic I never really understood completely. Although I did my best in paying attention to Miss. Sugisaki's explanation, I couldn't get most of it.

After explaining and giving some exercises as classwork, she left the room for a long moment. She said when she comes back she's going to sign it and give points for doing all of it. I had so many doubts, but I didn't have the courage to ask anyone, and Leon was too far away. But knowing him, he wasn't even going to do the exercises anyway. He just laid back in his seat with his eyes closed. So what was left was try and do them myself.

I got stuck on the first exercise. After a minute of hard thinking, I began to tap my notebook with my mechanical pencil in desperation. It didn't take long before I heard his melodic voice behind me.

"Need any help?" Uryu asked as he peeked over my shoulder.

"Uh... Yes. Thank you." My voice was hardly hearable—even to myself. As soon as I turned my head to look at him, I found myself close enough to kiss him. I lost myself as I looked into his deep, blue eyes. My heart was racing. I quickly managed to snap out of it and turn my head back to the front, and then I closed my eyes.

Just seconds later I felt him take my notebook from the top of my desk. Although I had just turned away, I turned back in his direction. It just took him a few seconds to detect the error and correct it.

"Okay." He began as he put the notebook in a way I could see clearly and pointed out the error with the tip of his pencil's eraser. "You did everything fine. Your only problem is the signs." He said calmly. He didn't make fun of my mistake nor called me stupid or anything, like any other person would.

"Your mistake was that you added five to ten, and you didn't notice that five is negative," He said as he corrected my mistake on my notebook. "Here you go." He handed the notebook back to me.

"Thank you, Uryu. And I'm sorry..." I said in a low voice, trying not to look at his eyes.

"Don't apologize. Everybody makes mistakes." He smiled, just like I loved.

"Even you?" I asked. I always thought of him as a flawless god genius.

"Yeah. Even me." He admitted.

I blushed and then turned away in my seat and continued working. Then I noticed a note on the corner of the page.

It said, "Watch out for the signs." and right under it "Anytime you need help, call me." followed by his phone number—mobile phone I assumed. I stared at his perfect handwriting for a few seconds after continuing with the math exercises.

As I did my work, I thought of Uryu. He was so nice. Even after having to protect me from those hollows, he's willing to help me with math? I've never met someone so generous in my whole life.

I finished my work with such ease, all thanks to Uryu's advice. I looked back at Leon, just to see what he was doing. He was having a manly conversation with a boy with spiky orange hair. Ichigo Kurosaki, or at least I think that was his name.

"You finished? Uryu asked.

"Yes." I turned my eyes to look at him. Judging by what he was doing, he had finished a while ago. He was sewing a little doll.

"Wow, that's cool. I never thought you sew." I said excitedly, but then I regretted it. Uryu looked at me in a way I thought I had spoken too loudly. "I'm sorry." I apologized.

"Don't worry. It's just that I'm surprised. You're the first person I know who thinks sewing it cool." He cleared out. "Everyone else thinks it's just weird."

"Really?"

"Sadly." He finished and put his sewing materials away.

"Changing the subject," He started. "When is your birthday?" He looked at me deeply.

"January thirty-first" I said. For a moment, I didn't realize that my birthday was tomorrow. Uryu seemed to be surprised as well. "Why you ask?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Just to know." He said. "Do you have anything to do tomorrow?"

"No. I'll be alone all day." I said. Is he going to ask me out?

"Would you like to... go out with me?" He said as he nudged his glasses up his nose, his hand covered most of his face. However, if my eyes didn't lie, I could see him blushing.

My heart raced. I didn't know where to set my sight on, as I looked around without looking at his eyes.

"I'd love to." My voice was low, but I think he heard me.

"Okay then..." He didn't show it but he was thinking deeply what he was going to say next. "You have my cell phone number so... You can call me whenever you want me to get you at your house. It won't matter when, I'll be there"

"Sure." I nodded, still trying not to look at his eyes. "Do you want me to give you mine, so you know I'm calling?" My voice trembled, but he understood me.

He slid his notebook towards me. I took that as a yes and carefully wrote my number, hoping he could understand my ugly handwriting.

Just then, Miss. Sugisaki came in. I swiftly turned away form Uryu to look at her. Everyone else stopped talking and put their attention on her as well.

"Okay. Give me your notebooks so I can sign them and validate your work. Then you can leave, it's almost time for your next period." She said.

All of us students showed our work to the teacher and she signed them, not even looking at what was written on our notebooks. That meant she hadn't seen Uryu's message.

I got my book bag and went to the next class: Biology. Leon was already there when I took my seat next to him.

"Hello, Leon." I said as I Sat down.

"Hi." He smiled at me in reply. "So... How did t go?"

"How did it go what?" I was suddenly confused.

"Weren't you _miraculously_ talking to Uryu?" He emphasized.

"Oh, yeah. Well... he asked me out." I practically whispered the last words. "Why you ask?"

"Just to know." He looked away.

Why? Leon's behavior is awkwardly unusual today. He's was starting to worry me. I was going to ask him what was wrong with him, but part of me said I shouldn't. Although he's my best friend, I was kind of scared to even talk to him now.

In today's class subject was cell structure. While the teacher discussed the material, I looked back at Uryu a few times, who smiled warmly each time in reply.

When the bell rang, I picked up my book bag and went to the lockers to change. I carried the books from the last classes in my arms. The Math and the Biology books were the heaviest. The history is among them too, but I don't use that one during the morning periods.

"May I help you?" Leon asked as he caught up with me.

" No, thanks. I'm okay." I replied. Then, just when I turned around a corner, I bumped into Uryu, dropping my books. The papers inside of them flew out.

"I'm sorry. I didn't watch where I was going. Please forgive me." I said nervously and bent down to pickup my belongings as quickly as possible. I put all the papers in the first book I put my hands on. Then when I tried to pick up the other book, I noticed there were other two hands holding it. Uryu and Leon were looking at each other's eyes menacingly—telling the other to let go of the book but neither of them would. They both gripped it very tightly.

I barely managed to pull it off their grasp, and then put over the other one, and picked it up.

"It's your fault!" I heard Leon say angrily as I got up. "You just had to make her drop her books!" Some people were now looking in our direction.

Uryu didn't say anything back to Leon. He just ignored him completely and turned in my direction.

"Sorry for getting in your way." Uryu apologized. "You aren't hurt, are you?"

"I'm fine." I blushed. Then I saw Leon's angry figure right behind him.

"Do you need any help with those books?" He offered a hand.

"No thanks. You should go to class now." I hurried him to go, he walked away.

Leon was angry with Uryu's presence and knowing him, he'd explode if he stayed any longer. I really wanted to avoid any kind of problem that might have caused at all costs. I walked towards my locker and opened it. Leon was right behind me. I could feel he was still a little angry.

"Why are you mad at Uryu?" I asked as I put my books inside my locker. "Did he do something to you?" I paused to look at him.

"Nah. I just don't like him, that's all." Leon said. "He thinks he's so cool... It irritates me." His eyebrows were now close together.

"Oh." It was inaudible. I didn't know what else to say. Just then, the bell rang again, indicating the change break was over.

"Shit! We're late!" I hurried. "And Mr. Mizushiro gets all sore when somebody's late." Imagine if two students are late. I quickly got my Japanese book and closed my locker, and then I ran to the next class.

"Yeah, and whose fault is that?" Leon said as he caught up with me. I said nothing in reply.

Then we reached the door. We approached the door cautiously, without making the slightest noise.

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: Leon Suto is an OC but he doesn't belong to me, he belongs to Daigen. daigen(dot)deviantart(dot)com The only character I own is Akira Sakuta. Bleach and Bleach characters are copyrighted to Tite Kubo.**


	6. Sharp Around The Edges

Finally, here it is... Chapter 6! *vocalizes* I'm sorry I've kept you waiting so long. ^^; It's been so long I bet you forgot what the story was about. :x Anyways, it was for a good cause... I had to rewrite it twice cuz it was crappy, but I'm very satisfied with this version. ^^

Hope you like it! (Please review!) c:

**Chapter 6: **_**Sharp Around The Edges**_

"Ladies first." Leon gestured me to go ahead of him.

"What?" I looked back at Leon. I tried not to speak too loudly.

"It's only a joke, sheesh... You have to learn not to take everything so seriously." He sighed and opened the door.

We both went inside with a sheepish look. The teacher looked at us—arms crossed. And the other students stared at us. We became the center of attention. The air felt... _heavy_. And there we stood, thinking about an excuse. But we both thought that if we told the truth, well, we'd be in trouble—both of us—for bad use of time, I guess.

"You're late again, Mr. Suto." Mr. Mizushiro said in his usually serious tone, but it had a hint of angry in it. "But that isn't surprising. Now take your seat." He ordered. "I don't want to hear you excuses."

Leon didn't protest as he would usually do, he just went to his seat. Knowing him, he probably felt guilty for making me late. It's not like I'll die for being late just once.

"As for you, Miss Sakuta." Mr. Mizushiro turned towards me. "This is the first time you're late to my class. I'd like to hear an explanation." He said in a rather demanding tone.

"_Perdón, es que..._" Those damn Spanish words slipped out of my mouth without my permission. I quickly blushed and covered my mouth. "Sorry."

I heard the other students laugh and that made me even more nervous than I was already. Sweat drops came down from my forehead, but I wiped them away as quickly as possible. I didn't want anyone to notice how nervous I was—surely they'd start laughing again.

"It's okay." Mr. Mizushiro sighed. "I'll talk to you after class."

"Thank you." I said quickly—maybe too quickly... Then I proceeded to my seat.

My hands shook uncontrollably so I hid them under my thighs. Then I tried to put my attention back to the teacher, but it was very difficult because I over heard a conversation behind me—about Leon and me.

"What do you think those two were doing?" The first girl asked.

"Who knows." A second girl replied. "Maybe they were making out or something like that."

I was mad. Leon and I are just friends, nothing more. When two people of the opposite gender hang out together it doesn't necessarily mean they're lovers. What a sick and immature way of thinking! I wanted to yell at them and say 'You got the wrong idea...' and who knows what other things but that'll probably make things worse so I got a hold of myself.

"Akira is so lucky. Leon is so hot, but he's always with her." A third girl said. "I wish I was her."

"Believe me you wouldn't want to." The second girl added. "You'd be known as the class top whore."

The moment she said that I felt like a sword pierced right though my chest. The one of the girls asked the very same question that went though my mind.

"Why?"

"Didn't you know? Everyone saw it." Another one of the girls said. "She came to school _with_ Uryu, then she ditched him to be with Leon. And in math, she totally ignored Leon to have god knows what conversation with Uryu. And then Leon and Uryu almost fight in the hall for helping Akira with her books. They almost eat each other out there—all because of her."

Now I felt the twist of the sword in my chest. What a horrible way to find out! I was completely unaware of that. Did it really look that way? I think Leon heard that too, because I saw his face from the corner of my eye—he was disturbed.

My eyes started building up tears. I really wanted to cry now—I needed to. But this wasn't the right moment. I wiped the tears off before they could even start running down my face, trying to pretend to be only rubbing my eyes. I tried to clear my mind and pay attention to the teacher's class. That way I managed to stay calm, at least for now—until I was alone.

When the bell finally rang, everyone dashed out, as usual. The teacher got me before I could even start walking. I had totally forgotten he wanted to talk to me.

"Akira, why were you late today? It's not like you to be late." Mr. Mizushiro sounded somehow concerned. "What happened?"

I didn't know what to say for an instant, but then I got the perfect excuse. Even if it _was_ a lie, it might save us both, Leon and me.

"It was nothing really... I just lost my book and Leon helped me find it." I said as naturally as I could manage. "I'm sorry for my tardiness and for interrupting your class."

Oh. It's okay, don't worry. I'll excuse you both for today, but don't let this be repeated ok?" He said in an unusually nice tone. It surprised me, even though it was right what I was aiming for.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Mizushiro." I bowed.

"Oh, please. Just call me Shinbashi and you don't have to thank me." He smiled.

There was a short silence while I got my lunchbox. I felt horrible for lying now. It's just that I thought if I told him the truth I'd get Uryu and Leon in trouble or something. Then I'd really be one to blame. But Mr. Mizushiro, I mean, Shinbashi, took me by surprise with his kindness. I think he's one of those teachers who are very serious in their class but out of it, they're really nice people. Now I had to apologize for the lie.

"About earlier, I..." I said sheepishly, but I couldn't continue. I just wasn't brave enough.

"Yes?" Shinbashi turned back at me.

"Never mind." I said. "Have a nice evening." I took my lunch box and walked towards the door.

"You too." Shinbashi said. "Take care."

I just smiled back at him and went out. Leon was waiting for me right next to the door, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. I was quite surprised to find him waiting for me—after hearing that conversation the girls had in class, one would rather stay away from the other. I looked at him, the sighed—and continued walking.

"You lied." He said as he caught up with me.

"Yes. And I feel bad about that. Please don't mention it again." I replied. There was a slight change in my voice—I was sad.

"Sorry." Leon said.

"Don't worry..." That was all I said in reply.

The next few moments were awkwardly silent as we walked down the hall. And I was starting to feel some kind of urge to be alone.

"Hope you don't mind, but…" I broke the silence. "But I'd like to eat alone today."

"Of course I don't, go ahead." Leon smiled warmly at me.

I didn't reply. I just started going down the stairs when his hand landed on my shoulder and stopped me.

"Just don't let it get to you." Leon started. "You shouldn't give much importance to what other people say about you. I'm sure you know they are completely wrong about you… As long as you're sure of what you are and what you aren't you shouldn't be worrying about this and you know it." Now he pulled me a little closer to him. "Just take this as a piece of advice from me—and probably the best I can give you. Please, keep that in mind." And he let go of me and went up the stairs to the rooftop.

I just stood there. I was taken aback by what Leon said—and the way he said it. I've never seen him so serious before. The way he was concerned scared me.

But I couldn't stay there, so I continued my way down the stairs. After a short walk around the school and getting a _few_ sharp stares from the other students, I finally found a nice spot under a tree near the courts. I sat on a root facing in the direction with less people and started eating the tuna sandwich I prepared before I walked to school.

While I ate, I thought about what Leon said. I really did worry too much about what people think of me. Maybe it'd be a good idea to stop worrying about that. But that was actually kinda important to me. I don't want to be glared at, nor avoided, nor excluded. I just don't want it to be the same as it was before I moved here.

"I'm so hopeless." I sighed.

The bell rang. Lunch hour today passed much faster than usual. Maybe because my mind was so busy with thoughts I didn't notice the passing of time.

I got up and went to the next class, throwing the lunch leftovers in a trashcan as I walked by it.

When I got to history class, everyone was already seated and Miss Minami about to start her class, so I quickly went to my seat and settled there. Then I suddenly felt something missing. I glanced to my side, to see an empty seat—Leon's seat. He left?

"Leon Suto." The teacher called his name. "Mr. Suto?" She looked over to the back.

"He left." A girl said.

"Oh." Miss Minami said. "Do you know why?" She asked.

"No. Suddenly he just ran off." The girl shrugged.

Strange. That's just not like him. He does leave school, at random times—even during classes—but when he does, he always gives some kind of reason. And he never runs off in such a hurry as the girl described. Something's definitely going on.

"Okay, class. Let's start our lesson." Miss Minami said. "Turn to page 183 and start reading." She instructed. "We'll discuss it in ten minutes."

I did as the teacher said, as well as the other students. And that's how most of the class went on.

The rest of the day was boring. Now I truly noticed how Leon was the _only_ person who actually talked to me. I was alone today more than ever.

When the bell finally rang in the last period, I gathered my stuff and rushed outside. I hoped no one would follow me, but someone did.

"Akira, wait!" Uryu said as he caught up with me.

"Please, leave me alone, would you?" I kept walking, trying not to look at him.

"I can't." He put a hand over my shoulder as he spoke in order to stop me. "What if another hollow attacks you?"

He had a point. I was vulnerable to those monsters—I had no way to defend myself against them. But it didn't really matter to me. Actually, I couldn't care less if I got killed by one of those hollows. If I died, I won't be able to bother anyone again.

"Look. I just…" It took me several seconds to make up my mind and speak. "…want to be alone."

"Fine." Uryu replied and took his hand off my shoulder. "But I'll be around the area just in case a hollow appears." He left.

I didn't reply to that, I just kept walking down the street until I couldn't see the school anymore.

**DISCLAIMER: ****Leon Suto**** is an OC but he doesn't belong to me, he belongs to Daigen. daigen(dot)deviantart(dot)com The only character I own is ****Akira Sakuta****. Bleach and Bleach characters are copyrighted to Tite Kubo.**


	7. Bodysnatcher

I stopped by the river to take a little fresh air. Uryu was starting to annoy me a little. Why does he insist so much on following me? It's starting to get on my nerves. I tried to convince myself that he did it because he loved me and wanted to protect me; but it felt more like he's stalking me, although I know he isn't that kind of guy, is he?

The sun was starting to set and the lighting posts had already started lighting up, so I threw all my thoughts and focused on getting home soon.

Then I felt a strange presence behind me. I looked over my shoulder—big mistake! There was a man behind me, probably nearing his thirties. He wore a black suit, so I assumed he was a banker or some kind of formal worker. Obviously he following me. I didn't think he had no good intentions whatsoever, so I ran as fast as I could—but my book bag didn't allow me to run as fast.

The man caught up with me and violently forced me into a wall; immobilizing me. He had a cold touch that sent chills throughout my body.

"What are you doing here? So… lonely." He licked my cheek.

In response, I defensively punched him in the face. His head turned after receiving the impact, yet he didn't flinch, grunt, not let me go.

"Wow. You are strong girl." The strange man slowly turned his head back towards me. "Maybe I'll get to enjoy you a little longer." He smiled to himself.

I was shocked. I swear I punched him with all my might—how come it didn't hurt him. What the hell is this man?

Now he pinned me down onto the hard concrete of the sidewalk; his hands cuffed around my wrists, and his knees forcing mine together. Struggling to break free was useless.

"Hold still, my girl. It all ends here." He said as he drew closer to me.

"Get off me, you pervert!" I yelled. I tried to force my arms off his grasp but it was impossible.

"Oh, no no no. You've got it all wrong." He shook his head in disappointment. "I'm not going to rape you. I'm going to… eat your soul." He whispered the last words in my ear. His foul breath caught up in my nose.

I froze in fear. A hollow? Could they take human form? How was this possible? It made no sense at all.

All my efforts to escape were useless, so all that was left for me was accept my fate and give in.

"Leave her alone!" A powerful male voice growled.

I immediately turned my head to the voice's direction. To my surprise, it was Leon. He was still in his school uniform, so I assumed he didn't return home after he left.

"Leon!" I panicked. No. Now he was in danger too! "Run, this man's a—"

"I know." Leon said before I could finish. He smirked.

"You…" The strange man burst out in anger. "How dare you interrupt my meal?!"

"Hmmm… You're a rare kind of hollow, aren't you?" Leon said, not paying attention to what the man said. "Bodysnatcher."

Bodysnatcher? What's that? I didn't understand what Leon's talking about.

The strange man growled in response as he stood up to his feet—just like a beast. I got up and backed away to the farthest corner, behind Leon.

"I'll eat you first for interrupting. And then I'll take your body, this one's rotting anyways." He snarled. "And you girl… I'll save you for dessert." He looked at me with eager eyes.

"That's what you think!" Leon yelled as he raised his fist. The light of the setting sun reflected in his black metal bracelet, making it glow a bright yellow. Then he slammed his fist into his chest, making... _another him _fly out of his body. His body fell back in front of me, staring at me with blank eyes and staid expression. I gasped in horror.

Then I looked at the _other_ Leon. He wearing a black kimono, and he also carried a sword. He looked so different now… Even his sole presence felt _different_.

Now there were countless questions floating in my mind—clouding my sense of reason and logic.

"Oh. So you're a soul reaper." The man said. "Fascinating." He smirked.

Then the man began to heave—like he was choking. Then, suddenly, something burst out of his chest. The empty body fell back and dark blood stained the floor.

It was to be expected—his hollow form was disgusting. It looked much like a parasite, only with arms and pointy fingers, and the head was pointy too—like an arrow. Dark green hair-like spikes came down it's shoulders from under the skull.

"What an ugly fella you are." Leon teased.

Then the hollow charged at him, howling in anger. Leon just stood there, one hand on the sword's handle as the hollow approached him.

I shut my eyes closed in terror, thinking I wasn't going to be able to bear with whatever was going to happen next. Then I heard the sound of steel grinding at great velocity and blood spluttering on the floor. I covered my eyes with my hands just to make sure I wouldn't open them at the wrong time. I whimpered.

"It's okay, Akira… I finished him." Leon said softly—almost whispering. His warm hand landed gently on my shoulder.

I opened my eyes slowly. Leon was right in front of me—already changed back to his old self—smiling warmly at me.

"You're… not hurt?" I asked in confusion.

"Don't worry. I'm okay." He said as he stood up. "C'mon. Let's get you home." He extended his hand towards me. I simply took it and he helped me get up.

I noticed the dead man's body was still lying on the floor, and there was an awful stench all over the place. I covered my nose with my collar.

"Don't look!" Leon warned. "It's not something you'd like to see. Trust me." He turned me away from the dead—rotting body. "Now let's hurry, before someone sees us…" Leon pulled me by the arm.

We walked at an accelerated pace—almost running. When we were far enough from the scene we walked normally. I felt like a delinquent.

The sun had already set completely as we walked along the sidewalk, but it was still kinda warm.

"Why so quiet?" Leon asked.

"I'm just… confused." I answered. "Nothing makes any sense to me right now."

"I'm sorry, I… Didn't tell you earlier…" Leon said.

"Don't worry." I said. "What is it that you didn't to tell me? If I can still know…"

"I'm a soul reaper…" Leon said in a very low tone.

"Soul reaper?" I asked. I was sure I'd heard that term before… But what does it mean?

"I'm part of a large group of humans that have spiritual abilities to kill hollows and protect other humans—living or dead." He explained, probably using the simplest words. "This black silver wristband helps me take on my soul reaper form, just like you saw earlier." He showed me the wrist in which he wore it. "That's why I _never_ take it off." He added.

"Oh, I see. It makes perfect sense now." I said. "Wait… Dead? You mean spirits?" I asked.

"Yeah. Have you seen how many there are in this town?"

"No." I answered. "I always thought spirits were invisible."

"Oh, really?" He questioned my statement. "Look. That old lady over there. She's a spirit." He pointed at an elderly woman—probably in her eighties—who was just about to cross the street.

"How can you tell?" I asked.

Just then I noticed a car coming down the street, heading directly towards the old woman. I panicked. She was about to be ran over.

"Watch out!" I yelled as I ran towards the old woman to warn her, but Leon grabbed my arm and stopped me. I watched as the car ran right though the old woman—like she was a hologram. I gasped. The old woman didn't notice it at all, she just kept walking.

"You silly girl. You almost got _yourself_ ran over." Leon laughed and continued walking.

"Was that supposed to be funny?" I shoved him playfully was I walked by his side.

"Nope." He smiled back at me. Then there was a short silence between us.

"So, I take it ordinary people can't see them, right?" I assumed after witnessing what happened just now.

"Exactly." Leon snapped. "Otherwise that car would've stopped, or at least dodged her."

"I see…" I said. I put every little bit of information together and then everything made sense.

It was exactly six-thirty when we arrived to my house. We stopped in front of my door.

"Would you like to come in, Leon?" I asked as I opened the door.

"I'm sorry, I can't. I have to keep patrolling." He answered in a sad tone. "May be some other day. 'Kay?"

"Oh. Don't worry, I understand." I said. Probably there were plenty of hollows out there, putting the citizens in danger. I very well knew Leon wasn't the kind of man who would sit around knowing there were people in danger.

Then Leon suddenly kissed my cheek and then he hugged me gently, but at the same time, _tightly_. I was completely taken aback by his sudden actions. I softly rubbed his back in response. After several seconds, he let me go.

"Take care, will you?" He said.

"You too." I smiled.

Leon walked back right were he came from, waving his hand as he did. Then I remembered; I hadn't thanked him yet for what he did earlier for me. God! I'm a mess.

"Wait!" I said out loud, but not yelling.

Leon stopped and turned back at me. "What's wrong, Akira?" He asked.

"I haven't thanked you for saving me, and for making things a lot clearer to me…" I said sheepishly. "So… thank you, Leon."

"Don't worry. You had no need to thank me." He replied. "I'm just glad I had the opportunity to do something for you." He smiled, the he continued to walk away.

"Don't be silly." I murmured to myself, as I watched him. "You've been always doing something for me, since the day we met… _friend_."

—————————————————————————————————CHAPTER 7 END————————————————————————————————

**Credits:**

Akira Sakuta and 'Shining Diamonds' © to me (vampireheart93, musicalfreak at deviantart)

Leon Suto is © to (flainktex at deviantart)

Bleach concept and Uryu Ishida © Tite Kubo


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